


What If I Said Yes?

by Rawrness



Series: The Choices We Make [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Light Angst, M/M, Omega Verse, Or Maybe Just Regular Angst, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-07-25 11:15:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16196429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawrness/pseuds/Rawrness
Summary: USUK Omegaverse. Arthur doesn’t believe in love, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy a good shag. While in heat, Arthur invites Alfred over and asks to have sex. Alfred, deeply in love with the omega, has a big decision to make.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [01blackcat02](https://archiveofourown.org/users/01blackcat02/gifts).



> ⚠️You should read Part 1 ("Crossroads") first before reading this.  
> .  
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> Did you read Part 1 yet? 
> 
> Yes? Awesome! Enjoy Part 2 *:･ﾟ✧
> 
> No? Too excited for Part 2? That's okay, you can read Part 1 after this ^^

Arthur finished his tea and gently set the cup down. He looked at Alfred and observed him for a moment before asking, "Do you want to fuck me?" 

"Yes," Alfred said. Although the question threw the alpha off, he answered quickly, almost instinctually. 

What else was he supposed to say? He loved Arthur, and the fact that the omega was in heat only made Alfred desire him more. But everything the omega just said about love made all of this feel very wrong. 

"Okay -" Arthur started, but Alfred cut him off.

"Do you want to have sex with me?" Alfred questioned. He didn't want to ask, but the omega spent the last half hour or so stressing that people should be friends for a couple of years before moving any further. Why would Arthur ask to have sex if that was what he believed? None of this made any sense.

Arthur felt a little annoyed by the alpha's question. He wouldn't have asked Alfred in the first place if he wasn't willing to have sex, although now Arthur wasn't sure if he wanted to go through with it anymore. 

But the omega was still horny because of his heat so he decided he didn't really care one way or the other.

"Well, you're the alpha and you're already here," the Brit said before standing. "It's your choice. I'll be in my room while you make up your mind."

Alfred watched as Arthur left to go to his bedroom. He didn't follow after the omega. Instead, Alfred stayed at the table and stared at the mostly empty plates and teacups. A large part of him thought he should wait to have sex with the omega.

But Arthur intentionally invited Alfred over during his heat. What else did the omega expect to happen? For them to eat and have tea, then watch a movie while completely ignoring the fact that they were both horny? 

No. That's not how the adult world works. People who are attracted to each other don't just stay friends. They act on their feelings and there's nothing wrong with that. 

"Ugh," Alfred groaned as he leaned back into the chair and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know what to do. If he turned down Arthur's offer then he might never get this opportunity again. Yet, if he accepted the offer then he might regret it later. 

Or maybe he wouldn't regret it at all. Maybe saying yes was the best decision for them.

Alfred took in a deep breath and inhaled the smell of Arthur's heat. All Alfred could focus on was the omega's smell. The scent of Arthur's heat was overwhelming Alfred's senses. 

If Arthur didn't love him already, surely love would come later. 

He stood up and started walking toward the bedroom. His desire for the omega grew with every step he took. The bedroom door had been left wide open and Arthur was sitting in the center of his nest. 

Although Arthur didn't show it, he was surprised to see the alpha. He wasn't sure if he felt relieved or disappointed to see Alfred standing there. Arthur didn't know what he wanted. It was difficult to concentrate, especially now that Alfred was approaching his nest. 

It felt different than how he felt sitting next to Alfred at the table. This was Arthur's personal space that Alfred was entering. Smelling Alfred's scent mixed with his own in this room was too much for the omega to handle. 

"This is a really nice nest," Alfred complimented. He meant it, but the words felt hollow and fake. Alfred often wondered what their first time would be like if they ever got together. It was something he always hoped would happen one day. But knowing Arthur's perspective on love ruined the atmosphere, and part of Alfred resented the omega for that.

When Alfred sat down, Arthur backed away to the edge of the nest. Alfred found the behavior very conflicting. Did Arthur actually want to do this?

"What do you want?" Alfred asked. He meant to be tender, but his tone revealed his irritation. Alfred didn't understand how Arthur could specifically ask if he wanted to have sex only to sit so far away from him.

Arthur didn't say anything because he could barely think. Being in the nest with an alpha was making his thoughts fuzzy. All he could focus on was the pounding of his racing heart and how hot the room was getting.

So Arthur simply shrugged because he thought it was better than saying "I don't know".

It wasn't. Shrugging was a lackluster response that Alfred didn't appreciate. It was certainly discouraging, and Alfred didn't know how much more discouragement he could handle. 

"Do you want me here or not," Alfred asked, the irritation in his voice building.

"Yes," Arthur said just above a whisper.

He did want Alfred there, that much he knew for sure. The omega really enjoyed being around Alfred more than he enjoyed being around anyone. 

But Arthur didn't know why the alpha kept asking these questions. Arthur already said they could have sex. It was just sex after all. And he already told Alfred his thoughts about love and relationships, so Arthur didn't understand what was so unclear to the alpha. Arthur was fine going along with whatever Alfred chose. 

Alfred simply needed to choose. 

Arthur's answer didn't make Alfred feel any better. Everything still felt wrong. 

But Alfred was already there in the omega's nest, Arthur was still in heat, they were both horny, and Alfred was in love with the omega.

"Come here," Alfred said as nicely as he could manage, but Arthur didn't move. 

More discouragement. It was starting to infuriate him. Why was this so complicated?

"Come here," he repeated. His voice was much lower now, like a growl. And again Arthur didn't budge. So Alfred moved over to the omega, grabbed the back of Arthur's neck, and kissed him.

The kiss wasn't the way Alfred fantasized it would be like. It was lacking all the passion he imagined it to have, yet he didn't want to stop. He only kissed the omega rougher. Arthur kissed back so softly that Alfred barely noticed the omega's lips moving. And if Arthur moaned, Alfred certainly didn't hear it. 

Frustrated, Alfred reached down to Arthur's crotch and grabbed the omega's cock through his shorts.

"What are you d-" Arthur started to ask, but was distracted when he felt Alfred squeeze.

"Seeing if you actually want this," Alfred answered before his hand slipped under Arthur's shorts to rub the length of his cock. "I want you so bad. Do you want me?"

Arthur closed his eyes and sighed as he felt Alfred's fingers fondle his partly firm cock.

Alfred pulled off the omega's shorts and saw the red lingerie Arthur had been wearing. His heart pounded from seeing the garment. He pulled this off too and he lowered his head and licked the top of Arthur's cock before sucking it. 

"Alfred," Arthur breathed out as he felt Alfred's tongue move all over his cock. He tangled his fingers in the alpha's hair and resisted the urge to push Alfred's face further against him. 

As Alfred sucked Arthur's shaft, he fondled the omega's balls. Much to Alfred's delight, Arthur's cock started to get harder. Alfred started licking up along the shaft as Arthur's erection grew and then began sucking the omega's cock again. 

Moaning deeply, Arthur started to thrust his hips forward against Alfred.

Then Alfred stopped. Arthur whined in protest.

"Say you want me," Alfred demanded.

Arthur whimpered, frustrated that Alfred stopped sucking his erection. 

"I do," Arthur said. 

"Say you want me," Alfred insisted.

"I want you," Arthur cried out. 

Alfred pushed the omega down on his back, then turned Arthur so he was lying on his stomach. He quickly pulled down his pants and boxers, which revealed his throbbing erection. Alfred got on top of the omega and rammed his cock inside Arthur's hole. Arthur was so wet that Alfred's cock slid right in.

The alpha started thrusting himself inside Arthur, making the omega moan each time Alfred's cock filled him. The omega's erection was pressed against the bed as he felt the weight of the alpha on top of him.

"Haarder," Arthur moaned out against the sheets. The omega's cock was so firm that he felt like he would come at any second. Arthur just needed to feel the girth of Alfred's cock even deeper inside him.

The second Alfred started fucking the omega rougher, Arthur ejaculated on the bed. Alfred kept humping the omega hard and fast until his pulsating erection grew even thicker inside Arthur's ass.

Arthur screamed in pleasure into the sheets as he felt the knot form inside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this note got deleted when I posted chapter 2 ^^; 
> 
> This fic was inspired by several of 01blackcat02's fics (specifically _Subscription to Love_ ). You should check out those fics if you haven't already ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 Recap: When Arthur asked Alfred if the alpha wanted to have sex, Alfred hesitated to answer. Arthur waited in his nest while Alfred thought it over. Alfred followed his urges and had sex with the omega, which resulted in a knot that they both deeply enjoyed.

Arthur woke up and found himself lying against Alfred. The alpha had his arms wrapped around the Brit, and their legs were intertwined. He couldn't believe that they actually had sex. It seemed so unreal. As enjoyable as the sex was, there was something about this that felt wrong. Part of Arthur wanted to wake Alfred and tell him to leave. Yet, being in Alfred's arms made Arthur feel a kind of comfort that he had never felt before. 

Being with Alfred was different than being with any of the other alphas Arthur had slept with in the past. There was something about Alfred's scent that did something to him. He felt so drawn to the American that it almost frightened him. It was why he backed away when Alfred first sat down on his nest.

Deciding not to wake the alpha, Arthur snuggled closer to Alfred and enjoyed the warmth of the larger man's body. Yawning, Arthur looked at Alfred and gently stroked the alpha's cheek. He started to think about everything that happened the day before. Kissing Alfred for the first time made Arthur feel like he would melt. The alpha was so strong and his scent was so powerful that Arthur almost couldn't move. 

Then everything started going really fast when Alfred grabbed his crotch. Arthur was able to easily handle the change of pace because of all the experience he already had with sex. But if that had been his first time, he would have been too anxious to keep up. 

Arthur really enjoyed the sex though. Alfred's cock was even bigger than Arthur imagined. He loved feeling Alfred's cock inside him. Arthur could remember the feeling of the knot so vividly that the thought of it made his cock pulse and his hole tighten. 

He also loved the way Alfred sucked on his cock. It was quite the surprise when Alfred had gone down on him. Most of the alphas he had been with never attempted to pleasure him like that. Only a few bothered to give him a blow job, but they were all surprisingly bad at it and none of them had given any attention to Arthur's scrotum. 

At some point Arthur must have fallen asleep again because the sounds of dishes startled him awake. Arthur looked beside him at the spot where Alfred had been earlier. The omega reached out and touched the empty spot. It was strange how Arthur missed having Alfred's body near him even though he knew the alpha was just in another room. 

Every fiber of his body was aching to be in contact with the alpha. This made Arthur uncomfortable. 

"Oh, you're awake," Alfred said as he walked into the room. "I didn't know what you wanted so I ordered us some donuts, bagels, pancakes, eggs, and bacon. There's also coffee." 

Alfred didn't know how to cook. The only food he ate at home was delivery and microwavable meals. Since he was hungry but uncomfortable with leaving Arthur alone, he ordered enough food for them to last the whole heat. Alfred made sure that the person delivering the food wasn't an alpha.

Arthur forced a weak smile. 

Concerned, Alfred asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Arthur said. He almost didn't say anything else, but finally decided to add, "I usually have tea in the morning." 

The American relaxed at that. "Oh, I can make some tea then."

Arthur shook his head. "No, you already bought coffee, so coffee is fine."

Alfred gave him a smile before leaving the room.

Arthur wasn't used to having breakfast right after waking up. It wasn't part of his morning routine. First he drank a cup of tea and skimmed through the news on his phone. Then he read a few pages from whatever book he was in the middle of before he took a quick shower. After all of this was done, Arthur then made breakfast. Although Arthur didn't really stick to his routine during his heat, he still drank tea first before having breakfast. 

But Alfred went through all the trouble of buying them breakfast, so Arthur decided not to fuss about it even though he wasn't comfortable with Alfred spending all that money.

Arthur hadn't gotten dressed yet from the night before. He only had a sheet covering him up to his waist. Not feeling like getting up, he patted around the bed looking for his clothes from yesterday. That's when Alfred came back in the room.

"Here is your breakfast," Alfred said as he handed Arthur a plate. "Annnd your coffee!"

"Thank you," Arthur said stiffly. "But I don't like having food in my bedroom. I'll just eat it later." 

"Oh... okay," Alfred said in a small voice. He took the plate and tea back into the kitchen. When he came back into the bedroom, he said, "So... I can call my job tomorrow and ask for the week off."

Alphas were allowed to stay at home when their omega was in heat, but Arthur wasn't his omega. Although they had sex, Arthur didn't consider Alfred his mate. Not yet, anyway. Arthur didn't know how to feel or what to say. Everything was moving too fast.

Allowing the alpha to take a week off work was essentially saying that they were now a couple. But telling Alfred to go back to work would likely ruin whatever was happening between them. 

"You don't have to," Arthur said in hope that Alfred would get the hint. He didn't want to be unnecessarily brutal with him.

Alfred sat down beside Arthur and gently rubbed the omega's knee. "I don't mind."

Arthur didn't say anything back. He was distracted by how close the alpha was to him. The feeling of Alfred's hand on his knee made Arthur forget about the topic entirely. He took Alfred's hand and pulled the alpha toward him. Arthur kissed Alfred and guided the alpha's hand under the sheet and over his cock. 

The alpha grabbed Arthur's cock and started rubbing it. Arthur started breathing heavily against Alfred's mouth as he felt himself getting hard. The alpha used his other hand to cup Arthur's cheek as he deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue over Arthur's lips until the omega opened his mouth. Alfred slid his tongue in Arthur's mouth and rolled it against the Brit's tongue. Arthur sighed and started to lean backward until he was lying on his back. 

"I want you inside me," Arthur said in a low raspy voice.

Hearing that made Alfred's heart pound and his cock throb. He lied on top of Arthur and lifted the omega by the hips so he could enter inside him. Arthur exhaled sharply when he felt Alfred's cock penetrate his ass. He wrapped his arms around the alpha's neck and pulled Alfred closer against him.

"Fuck! You're so hard," Alfred groaned as he felt Arthur's cock press against his stomach whenever the omega humped up against him. 

The alpha kept pumping his cock inside Arthur until the omega ejaculated on him. Alfred kept on fucking him until he also came. 

They lied in bed for a while after that and just cuddled. Neither of them got up until their stomachs started to growl from hunger. After they were done eating breakfast for lunch, Arthur said he was going to go take a shower.

"A shower sounds nice," Alfred said, inviting himself to join the omega. Arthur had wanted to take the shower alone, but he couldn't pass another opportunity to see the alpha naked. 

Once they were both in the shower, Alfred leaned down and kissed Arthur while grabbing and squeezing the omega's ass. Arthur ran his hands over Alfred's toned chest. 

Kissing in the shower was basically like not kissing at all. Everything was wet and traction-less. Arthur could barely feel Alfred's lips over his own, and somehow water kept getting inside Arthur's mouth whenever Alfred slid his tongue inside it.

Breaking away from Alfred's kiss, Arthur whined, "Please just fuck me."

Alfred turned Arthur around and shoved his cock in his ass from behind. Everything was slick from the cum and all the water that Alfred's cock easily moved in and out of Arthur's ass. He moved so quickly that Arthur could barely enjoy it.

"S-Slower," Arthur panted.

Alfred complied. He slowly thrust his cock back inside Arthur and waited to slowly pull it out, and repeated the slow motions. He felt Arthur grind his ass against his cock as he did this. 

"Better?" Alfred breathed out against Arthur's neck. 

"Mmhm," Arthur sighed as he leaned against the wall, his cock pressed hard against the tiles. As Alfred slowly fucked him, Arthur's cock rubbed against the wall.

Alfred struggled to keep a slow pace but continued to ease his hard cock in and out of Arthur's ass. He had been kissing Arthur's neck, but the omega hadn't felt it because of all the water, so Alfred bit him hard and the omega cried out.

"Was that too much?" Alfred asked in a deep voice.

"No," Arthur breathed out. "Keep going."

While biting and sucking Arthur's neck, Alfred reached around to grab the omega's cock. He started to rub it hard and fast while he slowly thrust his cock inside Arthur's ass. 

"Fuuck," Arthur moaned. He started to grind his ass hard against Alfred's cock, making the alpha fuck him faster. 

"Arthuur," Alfred groaned into the omega's ear. Arthur came at that moment and almost collapsed against the wall. 

Alfred held Arthur close and thrust his cock inside him a few more times until he came too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ ~~Most chapters will be about 1k words, but this one was longer because I added in some cock action for Cocktober. Will post the next chapter in 2 weeks.~~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 Recap: Arthur feels conflicted about where things are going with Alfred, but the sex they have in the shower is intense enough to distract the Brit from his concerns.

Alfred ended up taking the week off work so he could stay with Arthur during his heat. The alpha quickly went home to get some clothes for the week. This didn't take long since there wasn't any traffic. 

Arthur had mixed feelings about the alpha taking off work, but mostly he really enjoyed having Alfred around. He especially enjoyed being fucked by him. Every day was the same. If they weren't sleeping or eating, then they were fucking or making out until it led to more fucking.

With all the sex they had, the days seemed to fly by. It was Friday before no time, which was the last day of Arthur's heat. Arthur discovered over the past few days that Alfred was a morning person. The alpha woke up with boundless energy and excitement that Arthur would have needed time to catch up to if he weren't in heat. Fortunately for Alfred, being in heat replaced Arthur's usual morning grogginess with horniness.

When Arthur woke up, he didn't see Alfred beside him. Arthur got up to look for the alpha and found Alfred standing by his bookcase.

"Good morning," Arthur said, curious about what the alpha was doing.

"Morning," Alfred said with a smile. "I was just looking at your book collection. I knew you were a bookworm, but I didn't think you would have this many books."

"Is that a bad thing?" Arthur asked, unsure of how to take Alfred's comment.

Alfred shook his head. "No, no! I love how much you like to read. It's sexy."

With a blush, Arthur walked up to the alpha and kissed him on the arm. Then he tugged on Alfred's shirt and pulled the alpha down so he could kiss his lips. The omega felt an urge to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away instead and excitedly asked, "Do you want to see what I'm currently reading?" 

Alfred nodded although he wanted to continue kissing the omega.

Arthur picked up the romance novel from the seat of his armchair. "It's about an alpha who falls in love with a porn star omega. I'm already halfway through. I can't wait until my heat is over so I can read the rest of it."

"Sounds interesting, and hot too," Alfred said with a grin. He pulled the omega close to him and squeezed his ass. "But not as hot as you."

The omega rolled his eyes from Alfred's comment, but he grinned despite himself. Alfred leaned down and kissed the omega on the lips. As he kissed Arthur, he gently pushed him down on his armchair.

"Wait," Arthur said between kisses. He didn't want to have sex on his reading chair. "Let's go to my room."

They kissed all the way back to the nest. Their kissing turned into heated sex, as it so often did that week. Before they knew it, the day had already passed by. They continued fucking throughout the night until they were too exhausted to stay awake.

Arthur woke up late in the morning and realized his heat was over. All the urges and sensations that burdened him was gone, and now Arthur wanted Alfred to be gone too. He reached his hand out to shake the alpha awake but paused. Alfred looked so peaceful. 

Instead of waking him, Arthur caressed his cheek with his fingers before pulling his hand away. He still wanted Alfred to leave, but he also wanted him to stay. It wasn't easy for Arthur to part with Alfred after they had sex for a whole week, and he knew that this meant nothing could ever be the same between them again. 

Arthur wasn't ready for them to be a couple though, but being just friends wasn't exactly an option anymore either. To be more precise, it wouldn't be an option for Alfred. Arthur wouldn't have any trouble going back to being just friends. He also didn't mind being friends with benefits. Either of those options was far more preferable than becoming a couple. 

"Bollocks," Arthur muttered under his breath, frustrated by the situation he was now in. 

Alfred stirred as he woke up. He blushed slightly when he realized Arthur had been watching him sleep. "Sorry... Didn't mean to sleep the day away."

"It's okay, we both did," Arthur said with a soft smile. "My heat's finally over."

"Oh, that's too bad," Alfred joked. "There were a few positions we didn't get around to doing."

Arthur laughed. "Maybe some other time..." He then tapped his fingers against his bed as he tried to figure out whether he wanted the alpha to stay or not. 

"Are you hungry?" Alfred asked. "I can order something for us to eat."

"Oh... that's okay, I can make something," Arthur said.

Alfred sat up and kissed Arthur on the lips. "I don't mind buying. We can order Chinese food."

Arthur placed his hand over his stomach. He was hungry and he really didn't feel like cooking dinner or food for tomorrow's lunch. 

"Fine," Arthur answered. "As long as it's enough for leftovers." 

They ordered dinner and the food arrived in no time. Arthur had ordered the largest size so he could save most of it for the next day. After they were done eating, Arthur said, "Well, there isn't much left to do..." 

Arthur thought it was clear that he wanted Alfred to leave, but his face fell when the alpha suggest that they watch a movie. Arthur said he wasn't really in the mood for a movie, but Alfred insisted and the Brit caved in.

After the movie was done, Alfred somehow managed to convince Arthur to watch the sequel. When that was finally over, Arthur made a comment about how late it was and hoped Alfred would take this as a cue to leave. Instead, Alfred took this as a sign that they should eat dinner. Unfortunately, Arthur's stomach decided to growl right at that moment, so he was pressured into having dinner with the alpha.

Arthur was feeling really anxious by the time they were done eating. Although it was nice being around Alfred, Arthur really just wanted his space back. Usually, he made alphas leave the second his heat was over. Spending the entire day with Alfred was driving Arthur insane. He never had anyone stay over this long before. It felt as if Alfred was intruding on his personal space. 

Once Arthur was done cleaning the dishes, he turned to Alfred and said, "Thanks for staying... So, I guess you'll be heading out now?"

Alfred gave Arthur a surprised look. "Oh... I mean, yeah, I can go if you really want me to leave..."

Why did he have to say it like that? Arthur didn't want Alfred to leave as much as he just wanted some time to himself. Maybe there didn't seem to be much of a difference between the two, but it was all the difference in the world to Arthur.

"It's not that I want you to leave," Arthur said slowly as he tried to think of the right words. "But I... well, I need a bit of space to myself."

"Oh," Alfred said. "Should I just sleep on the couch then?"

Arthur heaved a sigh. Why couldn't Alfred take the hint? Arthur was too tired to continue tiptoeing around Alfred's feelings, but he also didn't want to say something mean that he would regret later. So he just mumbled, "Sure." The omega retreated back to his bedroom, ignoring Alfred when he said "good night". 

Although he was in the room alone, the space didn't feel like his own. He frowned and squinted his eyes when he heard Alfred's movements in the other room. Forcing himself to ignore the alpha, he got in bed and groaned in frustration. All he could smell was Alfred. The alpha's scent was all over the room and was most potent in the pillows and bedsheets. 

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling with teary eyes until he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little cameo of the main fic that inspired this series ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ
> 
> I think part 2 is taking a bit of an angsty turn... I might have to update the tags... >_>


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 Recap: Alfred takes time off work to stay with Arthur for the rest of his heat. Once Arthur's heat is over, all the Brit wants is a little time to himself, but he's unable to clearly express this to Alfred so the alpha ends up sleeping over. 
> 
> .
> 
> Wow, we're already halfway through Part 2! That was fast.
> 
> I made this chapter extra long ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ Enjoy!

The moment Arthur left his bedroom, he was pulled into a powerful hug and bombarded by kisses. This startled Arthur since he had forgotten that the alpha was still there. 

"Good morning," Alfred said between kisses with a level of cheeriness that was almost nauseating to the Brit. 

Arthur grunted as he squirmed out of Alfred's embrace. He gestured with his hands to shoo the American away before he disappeared into the bathroom. Moments later when he walked out, he almost walked right into Alfred. It bewildered him that Alfred had been waiting by the door like some sort of sad puppy. 

Resisting the urge to yell at Alfred, Arthur held in his frustration and walked into the kitchen. To his dismay, Alfred followed him. The alpha didn't say anything and Arthur understood that it was likely that Alfred sensed his less than amicable mood and was attempting to avoid annoying him.

Yet, the alpha's mere presence was making Arthur feel claustrophobic. He was very sensitive about his space when he woke up in the morning, so standing in the tiny kitchen with another person only succeeded in making the kitchen appear even tinier. Arthur felt like the walls were closing in on him. 

As he was making tea, Arthur could feel the alpha's eyes on him and hear Alfred's heavy breathing pounding in his ears. 

"What?" Arthur snapped.

"I didn't say anything," Alfred answered, confused by the outburst. He had very deliberately been staying quiet since Arthur didn't say "good morning" back to him. Not talking took an enormous amount of effort.

"Yes, but you're standing there staring at me. What do you want?" Arthur asked.

Alfred nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "N-Nothing. It's just... It's nice being here with you..."

Arthur didn't respond. It would be much simpler if he was alone, yet he didn't want Alfred to leave. He just wanted the alpha to be in a different room. He needed his space, but he didn't know how to ask for it without hurting Alfred's feelings again, so he said nothing.

The omega stared at his phone in an attempt to read the news, as he always did in the morning. He couldn't focus on reading, however; because he felt guilty for the way he spoke to Alfred. It also didn't help that Alfred was still standing across from him. Part of him still thought it would be easier if he simply kicked the alpha out of his apartment. 

Too distracted to focus, Arthur decided to skip reading the news and the romance book so he could take his morning shower early. He was having too many feelings and it was too early to deal with any of them. 

He made sure to close and lock the door before Alfred could invite himself in the shower again. Arthur intentionally took a longer shower than usual, nearly three times longer in fact, in hopes that he could avoid speaking to Alfred once he was done.

When he got out of the shower, he scurried into his room and got dressed for work. Upon leaving his room he found Alfred sitting at the dining table. It was clear that the alpha didn't eat anything, so he warmed up leftovers for himself and Alfred to eat. 

"Better be off," Arthur said once he was done eating his breakfast.

Alfred looked at his phone for the time. "We don't have to leave yet, we still have -"

"I want to leave," Arthur said. He felt so disoriented since his morning routine was thrown off. On top of all the feelings he was already burdened with, he didn't need to feel anxious about being late to work on top of everything else.

The car ride was mostly soundless. Alfred made only one attempt at a conversation, but Arthur didn't respond so Alfred didn't say anything more. Alfred turned on the radio to fill the air, but this made Arthur groan and rub his temples so Alfred promptly turned it off. 

Soon they arrived to work. It turned out that Alfred was right, they could have stayed at Arthur's apartment longer. This didn't matter too much to the omega, however. He just needed to get away from Alfred and have some time to himself. 

"I'll see you at lunch," Alfred said when they reached Arthur's floor on the elevator. 

Alfred kissed Arthur, but the omega quickly pulled away to leave.

While the day seemed to drag on for Alfred, lunch came far too soon for Arthur. Alfred was waiting at their table in their building's cafeteria, which was located on the first floor. He had already eaten a slice of pizza and one of his two burgers when Arthur arrived. 

"Hey, Artie," Alfred greeted with a cautious smile.

The omega quietly sat down but didn't say a word. He was still upset that he wasn't able to do his morning routine. 

It was actually better that Arthur didn't say anything, although Alfred certainly couldn't know this. Since Arthur was in a particularly grumpy state of mind, he was in the mood to criticize. The only thing he would have been able to bring himself to talk about aside from the great imposition Alfred caused that morning was how atrocious Alfred's eating habits were, because honestly, how was it possible for a person to eat so much junk food on a daily basis? 

Arthur squinted his eyes as he watched Alfred drink his extra-large soda. All Arthur could think about was how much calories and unnecessary sugar the beverage was loaded with. The omega bit his tongue, however; and kept checking his phone for the time. He really needed the day to be over. 

They didn't say a word during lunch, and Arthur was grateful that Alfred didn't try to make conversation. The instant lunch was over, Arthur was off. He didn't even say goodbye. 

Alfred stayed at the table, however. He didn't understand what was happening between him and the omega. Arthur's behavior was too confusing to read. Alfred arrived to work a few minutes late because of this. He could barely focus on work though. All he could think about was Arthur.

Soon it was the end of the day. Alfred wasn't sure if he was taking Arthur home or not until he got to the lobby and found that Arthur wasn't waiting by the elevator. He wasn't sure why Arthur was so upset at him, but he figured it must have been something serious.

When Alfred walked outside, he found Arthur waiting by the door. 

"Were you waiting for me?" Alfred asked. The answer should have been obvious, except that Arthur never went outside to wait for him before. 

"Yes, unless you want me to take the bus home," Arthur answered.

"No, no, of course I don't mind taking you home," Alfred said quickly. 

The short walk to the building's garage was quiet, and the drive to Arthur's apartment was somehow even quieter. 

Alfred broke the silence to ask, "Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Arthur asked back.

"Man, I don't know... You seem... I don't know, dude," Alfred said, fumbling over his words. "It just seems like something's wrong."

Arthur didn't say anything in response to this.

The rest of the car ride remained quiet until Alfred parked in front of Arthur's apartment. For a moment, the only sound came from the car's running engine. 

"Thanks for the lift," Arthur said.

"Anytime," Alfred said with a forced smile. 

There was more silence. Then Arthur asked, "Are you coming up?"

Alfred was more than surprised by the offer.

"Do you want me to?" Alfred asked.

"Do whatever you want," Arthur huffed. He left the car and walked toward the apartment. 

Alfred turned off his car and hurried after the omega. He wasn't sure if staying was the right thing to do, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Arthur alone.

They ate a quick dinner that Arthur prepared, then Arthur went into his bedroom to get changed. Alfred didn't have a change of clothes, but he had a tank under his shirt, so he took off his shirt and pants before getting comfortable on the couch. The couch was stiff. It was okay to sleep on for a night or two, but he wasn't sure how many nights in a row his body could handle sleeping on it.

"Are you coming?" Arthur asked from his bedroom.

"To your bed?" Alfred asked. He had been sure that Arthur wanted him to sleep on the couch again. Alfred waited for Arthur to respond, but he didn't hear anything else. 

He went into the bedroom and lied down beside Arthur. Alfred hesitantly kissed Arthur good night. He meant it to be light and quick since he wasn't sure if Arthur even wanted to be kissed. To his surprise, Arthur pulled him close and deepened the kiss. 

The kissing quickly became heated and the omega started humping against Alfred. Then Arthur pulled the younger blond on top of him. When Alfred didn't make any move to have sex, Arthur started getting undressed.

It was all so unexpected. Alfred was tempted to stop what they were doing to talk but feared that it would further upset the omega and drive him away. So instead he pulled out his member and started to thrust himself inside the omega until they both reached their climax.

They were lying so close to each other that their faces were just a couple of inches apart. Alfred wanted to ask if Arthur was okay, but he was sure the omega wouldn't give an answer. The most he could do was cup Arthur's cheek and rub it with his thumb. He hoped Arthur would at least understand that he was there for him.

Arthur stared back at Alfred. He wanted to ask the alpha to leave or to at least sleep on the couch. The omega liked having Alfred there, but he also wanted to be alone now. Alfred's blue eyes were so memorizing though, and there was something about the way the alpha looked at him that made Arthur's heart race. Arthur simply couldn't bring himself to ask Alfred to leave. Instead, he moved to the far end of the bed and went to sleep.

The next morning Arthur woke up in Alfred's arms and found that he liked waking up next to the alpha. He was also more used to the alpha's presence, which made him less irritated. Since Arthur was more relaxed, Alfred felt it was okay to kiss him. 

To Arthur's surprise, the kissing didn't annoy him this time. Maybe this was because he half expected it. Arthur was still frustrated that Alfred was intruding on his reading time, but it was hard to focus on anything but Alfred's lips and the alpha's body pressed against him. 

Arthur skipped his entire morning routine so they could have sex.

The day passed by quickly enough. When Alfred brought Arthur home that evening, the omega accidentally invited Alfred inside again. Although the mood between them was still strained, it was less awkward than the day before. Arthur led the alpha into the bedroom so they could have sex, which led to Alfred sleeping over. 

It was hard for Arthur to break this cycle since he really liked the sex, and commuting in Alfred's car was far more pleasant than taking a bus. Alfred started to assume that he was going to sleep over after taking Arthur home from work, and the omega did nothing to correct this assumption. 

Days quickly turned into weeks. Arthur wasn't sure when they had become a couple since it was never an official thing. It sort of just happened. Maybe they became a couple during one of the many times they had sex throughout Arthur's heat and he simply didn't know it. It also could have been any of the days following that one. 

Alfred was almost always at Arthur's apartment after they spent the heat together. The alpha only stayed home on the weekends. He packed a week's worth of clothing so he could stay at Arthur's apartment during the week. While he was gone, his housekeeper came by once a week to do his laundry and tidy the apartment, so Alfred never had to worry about running out of clothes to wear. 

The alpha was very affectionate in the morning, which Arthur grew used to. Arthur enjoyed being kissed in the morning, but he didn't like that he wasn't able to get any reading done. He started waking up earlier to squeeze in time for his morning routine. 

Waking up earlier made Arthur a slow and drowsy reader though, so he found himself rereading the same paragraph several times before realizing it. It took him much longer to get through news articles than usual. By the time he got comfortable in his reading chair and picked up the romance novel, the alpha would walk into the room and kiss him good morning. 

Sometime in March Alfred whispered "I love you" before they were going to sleep. Arthur pretended not to hear and hoped Alfred would assume he had fallen asleep. Alfred didn't say it again until the following weekend. Arthur had finished doing laundry and other chores, and Alfred had ordered a few pizzas. Alfred just stared at the omega as he ate and Alfred said those three words again. Arthur had pizza in his mouth so he decided to indistinctly mumble something in response. 

To Arthur's relief, Alfred didn't ask him to repeat himself.

Once Arthur went into heat, Alfred avoided saying he loved him since he knew how hormonal omegas were during their heat. He didn't want Arthur to say it back unless the omega meant it. But Arthur ended up saying "I love you" to Alfred while they were having sex. Alfred tried not to read into it since Arthur was in heat, but Arthur said it every day. It was always right before, during, or after they had sex. 

After Arthur's heat ended, the omega realized he couldn't really go back to not saying he loved Alfred without it being awkward for both of them. He also found that he actually wanted to say those words to the alpha. So the day after his heat ended, right before bed, Arthur told Alfred that he loved him. 

Alfred smiled in a way that Arthur never saw before. It made Arthur's heart race. So the omega kissed Alfred before he could say that he loved him too, and they continued kissing. Arthur pulled Alfred on top of him and they had really passionate sex. They fell asleep a couple of hours before they had to wake up again for work. Naturally, they were exhausted at work later that day, but Arthur didn't regret any of it. 

As the weeks passed by, Arthur got used to being Alfred's mate. Although Alfred didn't live with him, he did sleep there Monday through Friday, which was basically the whole week. Now Alfred was staying over on some weekends, so Arthur really didn't have any time to himself. 

He knew Alfred wouldn't have protested if he asked him not to sleep over, but Arthur really liked when Alfred wrapped his arms around him at night right before they were about to go to sleep. Arthur never slept so well before. The omega just didn't like how difficult it was for him to read since they started dating. 

Soon it was the middle of April. Arthur had woken up early as he so often did so he could sneak off to read. Meanwhile, Alfred was still asleep in bed. The alpha yawned as he woke and turned to look beside him. Arthur's side of the bed was empty again. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered sleeping over only to wake up alone. He kind of understood why the omega woke up early on weekdays, but it was Saturday morning. Why couldn't they ever sleep in and cuddle? 

With a frustrated sigh, the alpha stretched before sitting up. He looked around himself for his phone and found it under his pillow. He had a notification on his phone from an omega app he downloaded to mark down Arthur's heat cycles. The notification said that Arthur's heat was supposed to be today. The fact that Arthur wasn't in bed with him meant the omega's heat hadn't started yet.

Alfred loved when Arthur was in heat and always made sure he would be off work to spend that time with the omega. Although Alfred didn't really need an app to tell him when Arthur would be in heat, he downloaded the app anyway because it offered countdown notifications to an omega's next heat. 

The alpha loved when Arthur was in heat because the omega was always so attentive and affectionate. Although Alfred knew Arthur cared about him, the omega didn't usually show it well. Any time they spent together was normally because Alfred pushed it to happen. He often felt that Arthur would prefer spending time with books than with him. Alfred sometimes wondered if Arthur would even miss him if they ever went weeks or months apart. 

Alfred brushed his teeth before walking into the living room. He saw Arthur in his reading chair with a romance book in his hands. This was always where he found Arthur in the morning. He wouldn't be surprised if this was the third book Arthur read this month. 

The omega didn't look away from the book even when Alfred was standing right in front of him. Alfred leaned down and kissed him on the neck.

"Mmm," Arthur responded to the kiss. "Morning."

"Good morning," Alfred said, kissing up along Arthur's neck until he reached the omega's lips. The omega sighed into the kiss. Alfred started to suck on Arthur's bottom lip when the omega turned away from him.

"My heat will start soon," Arthur said, thinking that was enough to explain everything. When Alfred didn't move away, Arthur elaborated, "So I want to get some reading done before my libido goes mad."

Alfred frowned a bit but kissed Arthur on the cheek. "Alright. I'll order us something to eat."

Arthur typically would point out that they could just fix something at home instead of wasting money, or that they should at least order something healthy, but he wanted to focus on reading while he still had the ability to pay attention. 

The food arrived a half hour later. Alfred ordered enough to last them the whole week. 

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Alfred asked after setting some of the food on the table. 

"It's okay, I'm not hungry," Arthur mumbled without looking away from his book.

Alfred ate alone while Arthur continued reading. 

An hour passed by and Arthur was able to read thirty pages. He was now on page two hundred eighty-one. It was the most reading Arthur did in months. He would have gladly read for the rest of the day except he started feeling familiar inescapable sensations take over his body. His heat was starting. 

Now the only thing Arthur wanted was to feel the alpha's cock inside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~The next chapter will be posted on Dec 7.~~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 Recap: Arthur is overwhelmed by his relationship with Alfred, especially since Alfred is practically living with him. Although Arthur enjoys Alfred's company, he needs space to himself but he has trouble explaining this Alfred. This results in Arthur doing things to push Alfred away while simultaneously attempting to keep the alpha close in fear of hurting Alfred's feelings. 
> 
> Alfred says "I love you" for the first time in March. Arthur says it back once he's in heat in mid-April, then they start saying it to each other regularly after Arthur's heat is over.

Arthur's birthday was the Thursday after his heat ended. He wanted to spend the day reading, but he was exhausted after work. Arthur decided he would spend the weekend reading so he could finally finish _Subscription to Love_ and start the romance novel he bought a while back. 

As it turned out, Alfred planned a surprise for Arthur's birthday. They went away for the weekend to the beach, which was nice and all, but Arthur really didn't like surprises. He also didn't like canceling his own plans, although he realized that many people wouldn't consider it a priority to stay at home just to read.

Arthur brought the romance novel with him in case he could find time to read it. He tried to read it several times but Alfred would interrupt him to either drag them to the beach or to have sex in their hotel room. Although the book was often in his hands, Arthur didn't read more than two or three pages that whole weekend thanks to all the interruptions.

Still, it was a nice enough trip and Arthur's coworkers were jealous that he went to the beach. The omega coworkers were especially jealous since their alphas weren't as attentive or thoughtful to them as Alfred seemed to be to Arthur. No one really cared when Arthur mentioned how he hasn't been able to read anything since the relationship began.

"Who needs romance books when you're dating an alpha like that?" one of Arthur's omega coworkers asked. 

"Your life is even better than a romance book," another coworker said.

Arthur didn't know why he thought any of them would understand his problem. He felt even worse after speaking to them. 

He was moody for over a week and didn't want to spend a lot of time with Alfred. It was difficult for him to explain why he was upset, so instead he avoided the alpha as much as possible. He went to sleep the moment he got home so he wouldn't have to talk to Alfred, and he avoided the alpha every morning so they wouldn't talk or end up having sex. 

For the last few days Arthur even asked Alfred not to sleep over. It was the second week of May when Arthur started to feel better. All he needed was a little time to himself to get over his frustrations. When he got on his lunch break, he went up to the tenth floor and waited by the elevator for Alfred to get out of work. Alfred was running a little late for lunch. 

Arthur grinned when he spotted the alpha walk around the corner.

"Hey, Al," Arthur greeted. He leaned up to kiss his alpha. "Ready for lunch?"

Alfred had the largest grin on his face. He was actually late leaving work because he was sulking at his desk, trying to figure out why Arthur was being so distant. He didn't know why Arthur had been upset lately, and the omega refused to talk about it. Although Alfred still didn't understand what had happened, he was just happy to see that Arthur was finally back to normal again. 

"Yeah. I just have to use the bathroom first. I'll meet you in the cafeteria," Alfred said.

Before they parted ways, Arthur grabbed Alfred's hand and pulled the alpha close so he could kiss his cheek. "Okay. See you in a bit." 

Then Alfred walked into the nearest restroom. The first thing he saw was his alpha coworker, Yao, leaning against the wall with an unmistakable look of satisfaction. Yao lowered his head and his jet black hair fell over his sweaty face. Alfred's gaze lowered and immediately saw a temp worker named Ivan giving Yao a blowjob. The Russian alpha looked up at him but didn't stop sucking Yao's cock. 

Alfred promptly left and hurried to find another restroom to use on a different floor.

He met up with Arthur several minutes later.

"Sorry I'm late. I have something crazy to tell you," Alfred said in a hushed voice as he sat down across Arthur. "I caught an alpha giving another alpha a blowjob."

"Oh, I heard about them," Arthur replied casually, hardly fazed by the news. "Gossip spreads in my office like wildfire. Apparently, they're always having sex in the building. I didn't know that they were both actually alphas though. I thought it was just a rumor."

Although Arthur had nothing against alphas having sex with other alphas, he had reason to doubt the gossip he heard at work. It was extremely rare for an alpha to pursue another alpha romantically or sexually because regardless of their attraction, intimate interactions between alphas usually turned into a fight before anything else could happen. 

Alphas in this situation needed to know who was the more dominant alpha before they could proceed further. The fighting required to determine this usually extinguished any interest there was between them. Some alphas had a rotation schedule if one wasn't more clearly dominant than the other, but this was complicated and unappealing for most.

"What's even crazier is that they both work at my job. I mean one of the guy's is just a temp. He's only supposed to work here for like a month," Alfred explained.

"I suppose that's why he feels comfortable having sex at work like that," Arthur said before taking a bite from his lunch.

"Yeah, probably," Alfred replied, surprised by how casually Arthur was handling this information. "But Yao has worked here longer than I have. I had no idea he was into alphas."

"Maybe the temp's boldness made Yao feel more confident," Arthur suggested with a shrug.

"Sure I guess," Alfred said. "I forgot to tell you the craziest part. While the temp worker was giving Yao a blowjob, there was a moment when the dude just looked up at me. It was so freakin' weird!"

Arthur couldn't keep himself from laughing. "That's certainly awkward. I hope he doesn't get any ideas about you! I don't think I fancy the idea of sharing you with anyone else."

Alfred smiled as Arthur took his hand. "You have nothing to worry about, Artie. There's no one else that I would want to be with."

The omega smiled and rubbed his thumb over the back of Alfred's hand. "I know. I'm lucky to have you." 

"Yeah, you are pretty lucky," Alfred said with a playful grin. 

Arthur chuckled and pulled his hand away. "Don't get cocky." 

"I love you," Alfred said with a smile. 

"Yeah, love you too," Arthur said back. 

The omega reached down in his side bag and pulled out the novel he tried to read at the beach. 

"You're going to read now?" Alfred asked with a slight frown.

Arthur nodded but didn't look away from the book.

"But I just got here," Alfred said. "Couldn't you read it later? Like at home?" 

The last few lunches they had together was spent in almost total silence since Arthur hadn't been in the mood to talk. Alfred didn't want to spend another lunch together like that.

Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on a random word on the page. 

"It's just this one lunch, Al," Arthur said.

"No it's not. You're always taking out a book when you're with me," Alfred complained. 

Arthur's grip on the book tightened. He should have finished reading it _months_ ago, and yet he only had the chance to read just a few pages since he and Alfred first started having sex. 

"My heat will be starting soon," Arthur said. 

"I get that, but do you really have to read that right now? We haven't really talked in forever. Didn't you have plenty of time to read it before now?"

Arthur didn't get a lot of reading done during their time apart, but he wasn't going to tell Alfred that. "Didn't you say once that you love how much I love to read?"

"I do, I just... I don't know... It makes me feel like I bore you or something when you'd rather read than talk to me..."

Alfred had a hurt expression that he attempted but failed to hide by cleaning his glasses. Arthur groaned in frustration and decided to close the book.

"Fine," the omega said with a frown, "I suppose I'll just read it later then."

Alfred frowned too. "But now you're upset. You can read the book if you really want to. I just wish you wouldn't always do it when you're spending time with me."

Arthur bit his tongue, resisting the urge to point out how they were always spending time together now that they were dating. The only time Arthur could read was while he was with Alfred. He didn't understand why it was necessary to choose one over the other.

"No, it's fine," Arthur said instead, seeing how much this mattered to Alfred. "I'll just read some other time."

Alfred took Arthur's hand and kissed it. "Thank you." 

Arthur leaned forward and the alpha closed the distance when he leaned over and kissed the omega. There was a wide smile on Alfred's face when he started to pull away that made Arthur grab the side of his neck to pull him into another kiss. 

"So tell me about your day," Alfred said once they stopped kissing.

"It was fine," Arthur answered lamely. He couldn't help but think that this conversation wasn't urgent or important enough for him to stop reading, but he did enjoy seeing a smile on his alpha's face.

"That's good," Alfred said. "I was thinking maybe I could sleep over tonight. We haven't really seen much of each other lately."

Arthur grimaced a bit. He was going to try to read tonight if he had enough energy after work, but there was no way he could explain that to Alfred after what the alpha just said. Alfred would only be upset that Arthur wanted to read instead of spending time with him.

Instead, Arthur said, "I might be too tired tonight to do anything."

Alfred gave a big reassuring grin. "That's okay! We can just cuddle until you fall asleep."

The omega didn't say anything in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just three chapters left before we start Part 3, and I gotta tell ya... Part 3 is a real doozy! Totally worth the wait ^^
> 
> ~~Chapter 6 will be posted next Friday.~~


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 Recap: Arthur wants to read for his birthday but Alfred plans a surprise party for the omega and takes him to the beach for the weekend. Arthur needs time to himself afterwards to calm down. The first lunch they spend together after being apart for a few days, Arthur takes out a book to read. This starts a fight since Alfred didn't get to speak to Arthur in a while and Arthur hadn't been able to read much since they started having sex in February.

Alfred officially moved in with Arthur on the first of July. It was sort of Arthur's birthday gift to Alfred. The alpha felt like they weren't spending enough time together, and Arthur figured that Alfred may as well move in since they were practically living together already.

Although Alfred was ecstatic to live with the Brit, he thought it would be better if Arthur moved in with him since he lived in a two bedroom apartment. But Arthur wasn't willing to move out and he didn't want to explain why. Alfred thought this would change if Arthur saw the apartment just once, but Arthur didn't see the point in that since his decision was final. 

Since there was scarcely any extra space in Arthur's apartment, Alfred wasn't able to bring many of his things. So Alfred kept his apartment as storage for most of his belongings. He kept almost all of his stuff in his bedroom and rented out his second bedroom so he could afford to keep the apartment. Because of this, Arthur's apartment didn't drastically change as much as it could have after the alpha moved in. 

But a lot of things were different; more than Arthur would have liked. The refrigerator and pantry were filled with Alfred's "food" - a term Arthur used lightly since the American mostly ate pre-made microwavable junk. 

Usually, Arthur was too tired to wash the dishes after work. This meant that the dishes in the sink would slowly build up until it became full on the weekend. Now the sink was full every day because of Alfred. 

The alpha ate often and rarely reused his plate when he got something else to eat minutes later. By the time the weekend came around, the counters were covered in dirty dishes. So instead of doing the dishes just on the weekends, Arthur had to start doing them every other day. Despite this, the sink always managed to be full. 

Alfred didn't do the dishes since he didn't really know how to. His apartment had a dishwasher so he never needed to do the dishes by hand. Also, he had a housekeeper come by once a week to do the chores for him.

Finding a place for Alfred's clothes was a challenge. The closet in Arthur's bedroom was the only closet in his apartment, so it was already filled with his coats, blankets, towels, and whatever else he could cram in there. Arthur's dresser was full, so Alfred had to bring his own dresser.

There wasn't a lot of extra space in Arthur's bedroom, so Alfred's dresser had to be placed by the door. This prevented the door from opening all the way, which made it a cumbersome hassle to enter and leave the bedroom.

Alfred still had to bring his laundry basket but there was hardly any floor space left to walk around. The bathroom was too small to fit a basket, so it was placed in Arthur's room. Although it was just one more item, it made Arthur's room confining and almost unbearable to stay in.

After moving in, it didn't take long for Alfred to discover that Arthur was on birth control. This was surprising since most omegas didn't have a great need for it. Omegas could only get pregnant during their heat, and they almost always spent the full duration of their heat at home. Usually, the only person an omega would invite during their heat was their mate. If the omega didn't want to get pregnant, condoms were typically sufficient enough. 

Arthur explained that he was thankful to be on the pills. It turned out that Arthur had wanted to tell Alfred to wear a condom the first time they had sex. Arthur went on to explain how he never had problems asking someone to wear a condom, so it caught him by surprise when he didn't ask Alfred to wear one. This was why Arthur was relieved that he had already been on birth control. 

The alpha was shocked to learn all of this. It wasn't that he thought Arthur was a complete virgin before having sex with him, he just didn't think Arthur had much experience with sex, especially considering how strangely Arthur acted the first time they had sex together. 

Although Alfred didn't have a lot of experience with being sexually intimate with others, he was still able to tell that Arthur had seemed uncomfortable that first time. Alfred had never been in an omega's nest before, so he just thought it had something to do with Arthur being in heat. Now it seemed that Arthur might have slept with more than one or two people before they slept together, which didn't really bother Alfred. It was just surprising. 

Alfred was happy to know the information though and he offered to start wearing condoms if it would make Arthur feel more comfortable, but Arthur suggested that they should get tested instead. He always thought something seemed a little off about Arthur since they started having sex, so he hoped this was the cause of it. 

The alpha was optimistic when they got the test results because he thought maybe Arthur would feel more relaxed since they both came back clear. Also, Arthur now knew Alfred had no problem wearing a condom if that was what Arthur wanted. But the test results didn't fix anything. Arthur seemed just as irritable as before.

Once it was August, Arthur became absolutely miserable. Some days he kept to himself and didn't want to be touched while on other days he just wanted to be held in Alfred's arms all day and night. Arthur took really long showers and there were several times when Alfred swore he could hear Arthur crying. There was one time in particular when Alfred was sure the omega was crying.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked when Arthur got out of the bathroom.

"I'm fine," Arthur said flatly as he pushed past the alpha to go to the bedroom. 

"I heard you in there," Alfred said as he followed the omega. "You can tell me if something is bothering you. Maybe there's something I can do, or maybe talking about it could help you feel better?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arthur said in a wavering voice. 

"Arthur, please."

"Can you just sod off?" Arthur all but yelled. 

Alfred frowned a bit as he looked at Arthur.

"Okay," Alfred reluctantly said. "But I'm here for you, Artie."

But Arthur never told Alfred what was wrong. Arthur cried in the shower almost every day that month. Whenever Alfred asked what was wrong, Arthur said he didn't want to talk about it. 

By September, everything went back to normal. Since Arthur never explained what was bothering him, Alfred figured it must have been anxiety from officially living together. That seemed more likely since everything seemed to be getting better as the days went on. 

Arthur would sleep in until Alfred kissed him good morning. The kisses always turned into make-out sessions that usually turned into a quickie in the shower. They had sex often, almost routinely, to the point where Arthur's day felt weirdly incomplete if Alfred didn't fuck him. 

Arthur was so drained by the end of the day that he often went straight to sleep. He really enjoyed cuddling with Alfred at night and found that he fell asleep quicker and slept more soundly than he did before Alfred moved in. 

Their weekends were typically uneventful. Arthur still spent his weekends doing chores, which felt even more draining than before. The dishes took a half hour to clean. Doing the laundry was exhausting since Arthur had to walk down to the basement to do it. He did Alfred's laundry too because it just made sense to do all the laundry at once. 

Doing chores was an all day thing that often stretched into two days since Arthur was usually worn out. Once everything was done, Arthur would read if he had the energy. 

Whenever Arthur started reading, Alfred took this to mean that Arthur wanted time to himself. Alfred could spend that time jogging to give the omega space, but he stopped going out for jogs since he moved in with the omega. 

Although they lived together, Alfred didn't feel like he got a lot of time with Arthur. The only time Arthur wasn't distant was when they had sex in the morning, cuddled in bed at night, or when Arthur went into heat. This might have been fine with Alfred if Arthur didn't seem so grumpy all the time. 

When they had lunch together, Arthur rarely said much of anything. Sometimes it almost felt like Alfred was eating his lunch alone. Arthur often focused intensely on his lunch and his phone as if he was counting down the seconds for it to be over. 

So instead of jogging, Alfred played video games or watch movies while Arthur read so he could be near the omega.

The only problem was that the TV would be too loud for Arthur to focus on reading even when Alfred turned it down for the Brit. Arthur could have gone to his bedroom to read, but the room was so congested now that he didn't feel comfortable in it. Besides, even when he had tried reading in the bedroom, he was still able to hear the TV in the living room.

It was frustrating mostly because Arthur gave up reading in the morning, couldn't read at lunch since it bothered Alfred, and was too exhausted to read at night. The weekends were all Arthur had left, and he didn't even really have that.

Alfred tried to encourage them to go on dates at least once a month. He thought they could do something nice together, like seeing a new movie in a theater, going to a new restaurant, or going on a walk at a park. It worked well in July when he moved in. They had gone to a local play, which had actually been Arthur's reluctant suggestion. Arthur seemed surprised when Alfred agreed to do his idea.

The play they went to see was _The Wizard of Oz_. Alfred was pleasantly surprised by how excited Arthur seemed. He couldn't wait to go on another date with the omega again but they didn't go anywhere in August since Arthur felt awful for the entire month. Now that Arthur seemed like he was back to normal, Alfred was excited for them to go on another date. 

As much as Arthur enjoyed their date when they saw the play, sometimes he just wanted to spend the day reading. As much as he tried, he never seemed to be able to finish a single book. He put off Alfred's dates so he could try to get some reading done after he completed his chores. Of course he was always tired after doing chores, so he never had a chance to read.

Soon it was the last Saturday in September. Arthur spent the morning doing the laundry while Alfred slept in. Alfred had planned a whole day for them, but Arthur was exhausted by the time the alpha woke up. 

"You did the laundry?" Alfred sleepily asked when he heard Arthur struggling to push the laundry bin against the door until he managed to force it open wide enough to get inside. 

"I think you can figure the answer out yourself, yeah?" Arthur moodily replied as he dropped the bin between the dresser and the bed.

"Why did you do the laundry?" Alfred asked as he sat up. He could now see the second bin of clean clothes in front of the closet door. 

"Because it needed to be done," Arthur snapped.

"But you always get super tired after you do it," Alfred said. "I could have done it for you."

"Oh you could, could you?" Arthur laughed bitterly. "I'll thank you to never do the laundry again. You take too bloody long and you just mess everything up anyroad."

"Anyroad?" Alfred asked.

"Anyroad, anyhow, anyway - you get my bleeding point!" Arthur shot back. 

"Okay, okay. Sorry. But what about getting a housekeeper? I can pay a housekeeper to do a few chores like the laundry and dishes," Alfred offered.

"As I already told you loads of times before, that's a bloody waste of money," Arthur retorted.

"But you wouldn't have to pay for it," Alfred said. "I think it would make things easier."

"I don't want some flipping stranger in my bloody home touching my things," Arthur nearly yelled. He took in a deep breath before asking, "Can you get off the bed? I need to put these clothes away."

"Yeah, sorry," Alfred grumbled. The instant Alfred got off, Arthur dumped the clothes on the bed and started sorting them. 

Alfred stood awkwardly in the room for a minute before Arthur shot him an angry glare. With a sigh, Alfred yanked the door and pulled until it was wide enough for him to get out.

The alpha wished he could help with the laundry, but doing the laundry was harder than it seemed since there was only one washer and one dryer in the basement of the apartment. It was important to be on time with taking the clothes out, otherwise other people might do it. Alfred had only done the laundry once which resulted in an awful fight with Arthur.

Alfred had been late to get his clothes out of the washer. Once he placed everything in the dryer, he put Arthur's clothes in the washer. While Alfred was doing the laundry, Arthur was cleaning the bathroom. It was an hour later when the omega was done. After he thoroughly washed his hands and arms, he went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for the week. Since he was busy, he didn't notice that Alfred was late going back down to the basement.

It was another hour later before Arthur thought to ask if the clothes was ready. Alfred admitted that he forgot about it. The idea of wet clothes sitting for over an hour made Arthur furious. Alfred immediately rushed down to the basement the moment Arthur stopped yelling at him. When Alfred got to the laundry room, he found that someone had taken Arthur's clothes out to use the washer.

Arthur was livid when he found out that someone else touched his clothes. Alfred assured him that it was simply placed on top of the dryer, but Arthur felt compelled to rewash his clothes once the washer was free. It was an absolute nightmare.

Alfred stayed in the living room as he waited for Arthur to finish putting away the clothes. The alpha had planned for them to go on a walk at a nearby park before going to see a movie. 

It was hours later when Arthur was done putting away the laundry and cleaning the apartment. He wanted to lie down on his bed, but his tiny room felt like a tomb so he left to stretch out on the couch instead.

"Ready to go on our date?" Alfred asked excitedly. 

Arthur's face fell. "Must we?"

Alfred frowned a bit. "It's not supposed to feel like a chore. I just wanted us to do something nice together. We had fun when we saw that play, remember?"

Arthur sighed. "I'm too tired for all that."

"Are you sure?" Alfred asked with a bit of a pout. "We can do anything you want."

"Frankly, I'd rather stay in and sleep," Arthur mumbled. 

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the omega. He was quiet for a moment before suggesting, "What if we just have an early dinner? We can go to a nice restaurant. My treat, of course."

There was a long pause before Arthur grumbled, "Fine..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cutting it close there but it's still Friday where I live. 
> 
> I usually only post 2 chapters a month - but since it's the holiday season, I will be posting one more time this month ^^ 
> 
> ~~The next chapter will be posted next Friday.~~ Have a great weekend everyone!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 Recap: Alfred moved into Arthur's tiny flat even though he thought it was better for Arthur to move into his two bedroom apartment. The tension between them intensifies because there isn't enough space for Alfred to live there. On top of this, Alfred turns out to be a slob who doesn't know how to do basic chores. Arthur has even less free time than before since he has to clean up after Alfred, but he refuses to allow Alfred to hire a housekeeper.

They were driving to an Italian restaurant that recently opened in July. It was a half hour away from Arthur's apartment, located just past a university. Alfred found out about the restaurant from two of his friends. The married couple suggested going on a double date there so they could meet Arthur. They also hadn't seen Alfred in months, so a double date seemed like a perfect idea.

Arthur didn't want to go, however; since he wasn't in the mood to be around other people. He just finished his heat, which meant he spent nearly every minute of every day with Alfred for the entire week. All Arthur wanted was some time to himself. So Alfred told his friends that they were busy. 

The American felt guilty for doing this, especially since he recently cancelled his plans with the couple earlier that month. Alfred was supposed to see them on his birthday to watch the fireworks by the Delaware River Waterfront, but Arthur wasn't a fan of fireworks and didn't want to go. Also, Arthur had just told Alfred that he could move in and was feeling overwhelmed by his decision. 

So Alfred declined the offer to meet his friends on his birthday. Instead, he spent his birthday moving the rest of his things into Arthur's small apartment. 

Alfred also felt bad for not being able to watch the married couple's twins the following day. Babysitting was something Alfred used to do for them whenever the twins' uncle couldn't do it, but there was no way he could bring the twins to Arthur's apartment. The one bedroom unit was so tiny that it may as well have been a studio apartment. It was no place for kids. 

"We're almost there," Alfred said with forced excitement. He was determined to focus on tonight instead of the days he missed out on spending time with his friends.

Arthur had stared out the window for the entire drive there. After they parked, it took another twenty minutes for a table to open up for them. Aside from making his order, Arthur didn't speak much at the restaurant. Alfred made a few attempts at a conversation but Arthur barely responded. The Brit had his elbow on the table and his cheek resting in the palm of his hand while he picked at his food with disinterest. 

"My friend really loves pasta. I bet this place was heaven to him," Alfred said. He frowned a bit when Arthur didn't look up from his plate. "It would be cool if you could meet him and his husband. I think you would really like them."

"Uh huh," Arthur mumbled as he pushed his food around with his fork. 

"I don't know if you remember but they have twin girls. They're just the best kids ever! I think you would love them too," Alfred said with a smile. 

"Sure..."

Alfred frowned a bit as he stared at the omega who was staring down at his food. 

"You know... You haven't met any of my friends or family yet... I would really like it if you try to meet at least one of them so they can know that you're not an imaginary friend I made up," Alfred joked. 

Although Alfred laughed, he felt more strongly about this than he let on. He hadn't seen much of his friends and family since he started dating the Brit. Alfred was the type to put his relationship above everything else and this was especially true now that he was dating Arthur. The omega was often grumpy so Alfred did everything he could think of to make Arthur happy. He really didn't have time to waste on other people.

Arthur didn't like when Alfred ask things like this though. It wasn't that Arthur wasn't interested in meeting Alfred's friends and family, it was just a lot to handle. The thought alone was overwhelming. Arthur couldn't imagine how anxious he would feel if he actually met them. 

"You never talk about your friends or family," Alfred said after another lull in their one-sided conversation. "You know I would be totally happy to meet them."

Arthur finished the last bite of his food and set down his fork. He looked up at Alfred for the first time since they set foot in the restaurant and asked, "Can we leave now?"

"Oh... sure, I guess?... You don't want dessert?"

"I want to go home," Arthur said flatly.

Alfred gave a sad smile but agreed without hesitation. 

Once they got back home, Arthur grabbed the romance novel from his armchair and lied down on the couch.

"What are you doing?" Alfred asked, irritation clear in his voice.

"Reading." Although Arthur felt exhausted, he was too awake to sleep but too tired to do anything. It was the perfect opportunity to read.

"I thought you were going to bed," Alfred remarked, clearly upset. The only reason why they cut their date night short was because Arthur was feeling tired.

"I think resting on the couch will make me feel better," Arthur said. 

Alfred let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, whatever... I guess I'll just go take a shower."

Arthur didn't say anything in response. He just opened his book and stared at the pages until the alpha left the living room. Arthur got so into the book that he was able to get through a few pages. A kiss on his forehead startled him. He hadn't realized that the shower stopped running and he didn't hear the alpha approach him.

Alfred ran his fingers through Arthur's hair and kissed him on the lips. The alpha deepened the kiss, shoving his tongue into Arthur's mouth.

"Not now, okay?" Arthur said after breaking the kiss. "I just started reading."

"You're always reading some book," Alfred grumbled. "Can't you read it later?"

"Alfred, please," Arthur nearly snapped. He didn't bother to point out that it wasn't just some book but the same one book that he was taking forever to finish. 

Alfred tried to kiss him again but Arthur got up from the couch and moved to the armchair. He looked at Arthur for a moment before going to the couch. He sat down and turned on the TV with the remote. Arthur squinted his eyes in annoyance but tried not to let the noise distract him.

A few minutes passed by and Arthur was finally able to block out all the noise and just focus on what he was reading. 

"Did you hear that?" Alfred asked, referring to what was just said on TV. 

"What?"

"You didn't hear what they said?"

"No," Arthur replied brusquely. "I was reading."

"Oh... nevermind then," Alfred said as he returned his attention back to what he was watching. 

Arthur was interrupted again when Alfred's phone rang several minutes later.

"Matthew! How are you doing, stranger? It's been a while, huh?" Alfred greeted excitedly when he answered the phone. 

Since Alfred started dating Arthur, he hadn't been able to communicate with Matthew much. Although Alfred texted Matthew every week, Matthew wasn't big on texting. Matthew also wasn't the type to spend less than half an hour on the phone, which was never an issue before Alfred started dating Arthur. 

The Brit was crankier when Alfred spoke on the phone to his friends and family, so Alfred started shortening the calls to five or so minutes. This didn't work out for Matthew, so they stopped calling each other around March when Alfred started regularly sleeping over Arthur's apartment.

Whenever Alfred spoke to their parents, they often eagerly asked if he had spoken to Matthew and heard any new news. Alfred had to explain, more than once, that he hadn't been able to speak to Matthew much and that he hadn't been able to visit his brother. Since Matthew lived several hours away, Alfred used to visit his brother for a whole weekend. Sometimes he even stayed for a week. 

Alfred hadn't visited his brother since the last week of January. Everything was just starting up with Arthur in February, Arthur's birthday was in April, and the rest of the months just flew by. Alfred didn't realize he hadn't seen Matthew in eight months although it certainly felt that long. He was just so busy trying to work things out with Arthur.

The alpha's voice was booming as he excitedly talked to his brother. It made it difficult for Arthur to read but he didn't want to ask Alfred to lower his voice since the alpha usually rushed off the phone when Arthur asked him to do that. Besides, Alfred seemed so happy to be talking to his brother that Arthur couldn't bring himself to interrupt them. 

With a deep breath, Arthur put down the romance novel since it was clear that he wouldn't get any reading done today. He decided to cook food for the week instead. He went into the kitchen and placed a pot of water on the stove to boil. Then grabbed all the vegetables in the refrigerator and started chopping them. After dumping the vegetables in the pot he added a cup of dry pasta, a bit of oil, and some seasoning. 

By the time the vegetable soup was done, Alfred was off the phone.

"What was that all about?" Arthur asked as he walked out of the kitchen.

"My brother's mate is going out of town for a week," Alfred said from the couch. He didn't really like Matthew's husband so he avoided saying his name. "He's feeling sick and really wants someone to keep him company while his mate is gone. It seemed really important to him so I'm gonna stay until Sunday."

"That's nice of you," Arthur complimented while sitting down next to the alpha. "Couldn't your parents do it? Aren't they retired?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah but they recently started traveling for their retirement. I don't think they're even in the country right now."

"Wow... I didn't know they were traveling," Arthur exclaimed.

"Really? I'm sure I mentioned it... Whenever I get off the phone with them I usually tell you which state or country they're visiting."

"Right..." Arthur said quietly. He was usually so irritated from how loudly Alfred spoke that he barely heard anything Alfred said once the alpha was off the phone. 

"Well, anyway, Matt mentioned that he has a surprise... Do you think he actually wants me to come over for the surprise? Like a surprise party or something? I mean, he did cough a few times but maybe he was just pretending to be sick to get me there?"

"Maybe the surprise is a thank you gift for staying for the week," Arthur guessed.

"Oh yeah, that totally sounds like Mattie! That's probably what it is," Alfred said with an excited grin. 

"Well, you'll find out when you get there," Arthur said. "When are you leaving?" 

Alfred got nervous and placed his hand over the back of his neck. "Tomorrow morning, if that's okay?"

"That's fine," Arthur said. "I made soup while you were on the phone. It's ready now."

"I'm actually in the mood for burritos and nachos. You don't mind, right?" Alfred asked.

"Why would I care?" Arthur muttered as he left to put the soup in the refrigerator. He didn't know why he bothered to cook anything. Alfred always ordered delivery or went out to eat. The only thing Alfred "cooked" at home was his microwavable meals. 

"What should I get for you?" Alfred asked.

"Whatever," Arthur mumbled before retreating to his room. Frustrated, Arthur decided to lie down for a few minutes until he felt more relaxed.

Arthur fell asleep and didn't wake up until the following morning when Alfred's alarm went off. 

"Bloody hell! Turn that bloody thing off," Arthur groaned as he pulled the sheets over his head. 

Alfred turned off his phone and scrambled to get ready. Arthur reached for his own phone to check the time. It was three o'clock. He knew Arthur's brother lived somewhere in New York but did Alfred have to wake up this early?

Over an hour later Arthur felt the bed sink a bit as Alfred sat beside him. 

"I'm heading out now," Alfred said before kissing the omega. "I'll text you every day."

"Mmhmm," Arthur mumbled, still exhausted. 

Alfred kissed all over Arthur's face until the Brit turned to kiss him back.

"Go, go, you'll be late," Arthur murmured, falling asleep as he spoke.

"I love you," Alfred said softly, kissing Arthur again.

Arthur ran his fingers through Alfred's hair and kissed him back.

"Love you too," Arthur sleepily said as Alfred pulled away. "Tell your brother I said hi."

Alfred smiled although Arthur couldn't see it, then he kissed the omega one more time. "I will. See you soon. I'll be back before you know it."

Arthur felt Alfred hug him and the warmth of his body felt cozy. He wanted to wrap his arms around him and cuddle. After Alfred pulled away, Arthur grabbed the pillow Alfred had been sleeping on and cuddled with that instead. When he inhaled he could smell Alfred's scent on it. 

He fell back asleep before Alfred walked out of the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was starting to get long so I decided to split it so you can get another extra chapter this month.
> 
> ~~Chapter 8 will be posted next Friday. The final chapter of Part 2 will be posted January 1, 2019.~~
> 
> Merry Solstice everyone!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 Recap: After an unsuccessful date night, Alfred gets upset when Arthur starts reading the moment they get home. Later that evening, Alfred gets a call from his brother Matthew. While he's on the phone, Arthur makes soup for them, but Alfred ends up ordering burritos instead of trying the soup. Arthur passes out in bed from exhaustion. He wakes up several hours later and is able to say bye to Alfred before the alpha leaves to visit Matthew for a week.

It was hours later when Arthur woke up again. For a second he was confused when he didn't see Alfred in bed across from him, but then he remembered where the alpha went. It had been such a long time since he woke up to an empty bed. It felt strange. He almost didn't remember how he used to spend his mornings before Alfred started sleeping with him.

Then excitement suddenly stirred within the Brit. He hopped out of bed and practically skipped to the kitchen. The first thing he did was put a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Looking down at the drawers, he tried to remember where he usually kept the tea infusers. Arthur hadn't made a proper English cup of tea in months. 

After he finally found one, he opened a top cabinet to search for his canisters of loose tea leaves. He had to reach behind boxes of tea bags that the alpha bought for him several months ago. Alfred was trying to be helpful since tea bags were less messy and "easier" to make. Arthur didn't want to throw the boxes of tea away, so he started using the tea bags to get rid of them. 

It took a minute for Arthur to find a tea canister. He almost dropped the canister the moment he opened it. There was something shiny glistening at the bottom. He pulled it out and held it up in the air. It was the gold ribbon he kept from Alfred's gift on Valentine's Day. He forgot that he kept it.

Memories of that day flooded back to him. 

As Arthur stared at the ribbon, he wondered if it was a mistake to invite Alfred over for tea that day. He quickly dismissed that idea, however. While it was certainly unconventional to invite the alpha over during his heat, Arthur still felt it was the right thing to do. After all, it changed the nature of their friendship in a way that Arthur favored. 

The talk they had over tea was the first deep conversation they ever had together, so Arthur could never regret his decision to invite the alpha over. It was also good to talk about his thoughts on love, even though Alfred disagreed with him. The only time Arthur spoke about this subject in the past was in a few of the classes he took in community college and at the university he attended.

Maybe it was wrong to ask Alfred to have sex, but that didn't seem to be the problem either, although Arthur was sure that was a bit of a blunder too. Still, it wasn't a question he would have taken back. Arthur was used to having casual sex. If he hadn't asked at that point, he would still wonder if it would have been an option. Arthur would have eventually asked to have sex with Alfred at some point anyway.

Then Arthur realized the mistake he made. 

While Alfred hesitated to have sex that day, Arthur was sitting alone in his nest. There was a brief moment when he realized that it would be unwise if they had sex, but then Alfred walked into his bedroom and approached his nest. 

Arthur found himself frozen in place by how badly he wanted to be with Alfred. He felt it with such intensity that it scared him. He never felt that strongly about anyone before. It made him nervous and part of him suddenly felt like they should wait. But his raging hormones made it difficult for him to think, and nearly impossible for him to decline to have sex with the alpha. The most he could manage was to move away from Alfred. 

Arthur was so overwhelmed by his emotions and hormones that he could barely remember the things Alfred said next. The main thing he remembered was Alfred asking if he wanted him there or not. Arthur answered yes, although now Arthur felt that was a mistake. None of this would have happened if he hadn't said yes.

But he really wanted Alfred to stay. If the only way for Alfred to stay was to have sex then Arthur was willing to do that.

Except that Arthur wasn't as willing as he thought he was. Despite everything he felt because of his heat, he was overcome by worry that he was about to ruin something important. 

Then Alfred kissed him, and now they were living together. 

They've known each other for almost a year and six months now and had been dating for nearly eight of those months. Arthur wondered if he would feel closer to Alfred if they had just been friends this whole time. He also wondered if it would be easier to share his thoughts and feelings to Alfred without the fear of hurting the American's feelings or pushing him away.

Mostly, Arthur wondered if he would have fallen in love with Alfred.

Arthur's heart plummeted as he acknowledged something that he always tried to ignore. Arthur freely said "I love you" because it made Alfred happy, but Arthur wasn't sure that the feeling he felt toward the alpha was actually love.

Steam started whistling out of the kettle as it came to a boil, effectively snapping Arthur out of his thoughts.

Arthur got another canister of tea and stuffed the infuser with leaves. He dropped it in a mug and poured the hot water over it and waited for the tea to brew. 

While he waited, he read a few news articles on his phone. It was nice to get back into his old routine and even nicer to have something to keep his mind busy from his thoughts. 

After a few minutes passed by, he dumped the tea leaves out and walked over to his reading chair. He set the mug on the side table before opening up the romance novel.

Since he didn't have any obligations today, he spent the entire morning reading. It was noon when he had to take a break to eat. He went to the refrigerator to get the soup he made the night before. The moment he opened it, he saw a container with his name written on the lid. 

Arthur was sure that Alfred ordered him something unhealthy, so he reached passed it and grabbed the soup instead. He took a shower once he was done eating before promptly going back to his armchair to read. 

He read for five hours straight and only had twenty-two pages left. Then his phone started to ring. He reached for it and pressed the lower side button until the volume was off. He didn't look to see who called but he was sure it was Alfred since Arthur had ignored the alpha's texts all day. 

The Brit got up with the intent to eat another bowl of soup for dinner but decided to see what Alfred brought him from the restaurant. Since the alpha would be gone for a whole week, Arthur figured he would have to eat it at some point or another so it wouldn't go to waste.

Arthur took out the container and opened it. He was surprised to find something healthy that he would actually enjoy eating. Inside was brown rice, black beans, lettuce, corn, tomato, strips of bell pepper, and chopped chunks of chicken breast. 

Once he finished eating the last bite, Arthur went back to his armchair and picked up his book. He glanced at his phone briefly before setting his book down so he could check the text messages. As he read them, he couldn't help but smile. 

He was close to finishing his book, however; so he decided to listen to the voicemail later. It was nearly seven o'clock when Arthur finished the book. He closed it and whispered, "Wow." 

The book was so good that he wanted to read it again. He needed to go to sleep though since he had work tomorrow. 

As he stood, he picked up his phone and played the voicemail Alfred left.

" _Hey Artie! I made it here safely_ ," the voicemail started, " _Mattie's surprise was super awesome and really the biggest surprise ever! I can't wait to tell you about it when I get home!... So, um, I texted you a few times but didn't hear back from you. I hope everything is okay. Try to have a fun week. I love you. I'll see you soon_."

It was nice hearing Alfred's voice. Arthur played the message two more times before opening his text to reply to the alpha.

_**All is well here. Night!** _

After sending the text, Arthur got dressed in his night pants and in the shirt that Alfred wore the night before. The shirt was too big for Arthur but he liked wearing it. It smelled like Alfred and it made him feel like the alpha was close. 

Then Arthur got in bed. It felt strange without Alfred there. Although his bedroom was cramped, somehow the bed seemed too large and empty. 

Arthur turned and faced the side that Alfred slept on. He could picture Alfred lying there. He missed having the alpha's strong arms around him. Arthur especially missed kissing and being kissed by Alfred. 

He grabbed the pillow that Alfred slept on and held it close, burying his face against it. The pillow smelled like his alpha. He started to feel calmer has Alfred's scent flooded his senses. His body quickly relaxed and the omega drifted off to sleep.

When Arthur woke up the next morning he was surprised for a moment that Alfred wasn't there. Then he remembered where Alfred was. 

Arthur checked his phone and saw a text from the American.

_**Good morning Artie <3**_  
_**Miss you! It was hard to sleep without you.**_  
_**Hope you were able to sleep**_

Although the text made him smile and his heart flutter, Arthur wasn't entirely sure how he felt. He missed Alfred and it felt wrong to wake up without the alpha next to him, but Arthur also felt a freeness that he hadn't felt since they got together. He understood that reading and doing his morning routine didn't seem all that significant. But it was important to him and he almost forgot just how important it was until he was free to do those things again. 

Arthur read the news while he waited for his tea to steep, then he went to his reading chair to drink it. As he sipped his tea, he stared at the book he just finished. He felt tempted to start a new book but part of him felt reluctant. Arthur rarely had the time to read anymore. It took eight months for him to finish _Subscription to Love_ when it should have taken him two. The next book he wanted to read was almost as many pages and would probably take even longer to read.

"Oh what the hell," Arthur said with a grin as he went to the bookcase by his armchair. He pulled out a book from the shelf and traced his fingers down the cover. It was another romance novel by his favorite writer. This one was about a claustrophobic omega. 

Arthur sat down and started reading. He managed to get through a few pages before he had to leave for work. During his lunch break he continued reading the book while he ate. He was excited to be starting a new book, although he still felt some level of trepidation. If he didn't finish it before Alfred came back, he didn't know how many months it would take for him to read it.

But Arthur continued reading the book anyway and hoped that he would be able to finish it before Alfred returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~The final chapter will be posted Tuesday, January 1st. Part 3 (which is the main part of this series) will also be posted that day.~~
> 
> Hope you're prepared for the final chapter of Part 2 (／^ω^)／ ~~Idk _why_ I used that adorable face when the next chapter is the opposite of cute~~
> 
> Also - the book about the claustrophobic omega was alluding to 01BlackCat02's fic _Keep Me in Your Heart Even if I Run_ which is so sooo good and totally worth reading ♥︎


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 Recap: Arthur finds the golden ribbon that he kept from the chocolates Alfred gave him on Valentine's Day, which makes him reflect on all the choices they made since then. 
> 
> Although Arthur misses Alfred, he's finally able to finish the book he had been reading since Valentine's Day. He's also able to do his morning routine again, which is something he missed doing.

The week passed by too quickly for Arthur's liking. It was the best week he had since they started dating. He spent all his mornings and lunch breaks reading the new book. He even read a few pages at night when he wasn't too exhausted after work. Arthur was on page one hundred fifteen by Friday evening. He tried to stay up to keep reading but was simply too exhausted. 

Arthur woke up later than he wanted to that Saturday morning. He checked his phone as he did every morning since Alfred left to see Matthew. The last text he got from Alfred was the day before. It was a little weird that Alfred hadn't texted since the alpha texted Arthur early every morning. Arthur decided to text him first this time.

_**G'morning** _

After sending the text, Arthur made his tea. He read a few pages of his book before taking his morning shower. Arthur took a longer shower than usual since a lot was on his mind.

Alfred would be coming back tomorrow, but Arthur didn't want to think about that. The week without the alpha had been so wonderful. He was able to eat healthy foods that he cooked himself. Arthur was able to sleep in a little longer in the morning. And he was able to actually read for once. It still amazed the omega how he was able to finally finish reading _Subscription to Love_ and start a new book.

There was no reason why his days couldn't stay the same once Alfred came back. But Arthur knew he wouldn't be able to do any of these things with the alpha around. He never could before, so why would everything suddenly change now? 

Although Arthur missed kissing Alfred and having sex with him, he would give up those things without a second thought if it meant he could have more weeks like this.

The omega turned off the shower and got dressed. He wore sweatpants and put on the alpha's shirt that he had worn every night. When he went to his bedroom, he moved the curtain from the window by his bed and almost knocked over the array of candles and crystals that were on the sill. As he opened the blinds to look outside, one of the candles fell over. 

He reached down to pick up the candle which had several symbols carved into it. After he placed it back on the sill, he glanced up at the sky. The clouds were a dark gray and it was pouring rain. 

Arthur started to yawn. He was exhausted from staying up all night reading. Although it was clear that he needed more rest, he didn't want to spend the day sleeping since tomorrow would be the last day he would have to himself for who knows how long. 

He hadn't done any chores all week and it really showed. Debating whether he should clean today or tomorrow, Arthur decided he would clean now. But first he checked his phone to see if Alfred texted him. 

He smiled when he saw a text from the alpha.

_**Good morning sweetheart <3** _  
_**Can't wait to see you!** _  
_**I'll be there before you know it** _

Still smiling, Arthur put his phone down so he could start on his chores.

The first thing he did was the laundry. He swept and mopped the floors while the clothes were washing. Then he cleaned the bathroom while the clothes were drying. It was noon by the time Arthur finished putting his clothes away. He then cooked some pasta and fixed himself a plate.

After he finished eating, he washed the dishes he just dirtied and put the food away.

He still felt tired and figured that it might have been because it was raining all day. Arthur enjoyed cuddling in bed with Alfred on rainy days until they fell asleep. It was tempting to go back to sleep, but he couldn't. Alfred would be back tomorrow, so he had to get through most of the book today so he could finish it early the next day before the alpha came home. 

Hours passed and Arthur only stopped reading when he needed to eat or had to use the washroom. By six o'clock he reached page one hundred eighty-one and was excited by how far he got. If he continued reading all night, he was sure that he would be able to finish the book well before Alfred got home tomorrow. 

Arthur checked his phone and saw that the only text he got from Alfred was from that morning. The omega placed his phone on the stand by his armchair and resumed reading. 

It was maybe an hour later that his heart jumped from the sound of keys at the door. The door swung open and there was Alfred. He was drenched, which shouldn't have been a surprise since it had been raining all day and was still raining hard. Alfred lifted the hood off his head and smiled when he saw Arthur. 

"Hey, Artie," Alfred greeted as he stepped inside. He walked over to the omega and quickly kissed him on the lips. Arthur turned his head away from him. "Sorry, I know I'm soaked. It's really pouring out there!"

Alfred went to the bathroom and put his wet shoes in the tub. After taking off most of his clothes, he hung everything in the shower. The only thing left on him was his boxers which were mostly dry. Then he hurried into the bedroom to put on warm slacks and a dry shirt. 

While Alfred was getting dressed, Arthur was staring at the wet spots on the floor that the alpha left. He knew it shouldn't have bothered him, but it did. He watched as Alfred walked back into the room and approached him.

"I missed you," Alfred said with a cheery smile as he neared the omega. Alfred leaned over to kiss him again, but Arthur moved away from the alpha. "... Is everything okay?" 

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming today?" Arthur snapped.

Alfred was taken aback. He picked up on an anxious scent from the omega that he never smelled before. "I'm sorry... I missed you and wanted to surprise you."

Arthur bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from fuming, but his body felt hot and his hands were shaking. He felt like he could explode at any moment. 

"Besides, I have so much to tell you and I just couldn't wait to tell you in person," Alfred said excitedly. "Remember the surprise Matthew — "

"You should have told me first," Arthur interrupted in a hushed voice. 

"I said I was sorry," Alfred said in a more serious tone. He reached down to take Arthur's hand, but Arthur moved his hand out of reach and brought it to his chest. The omega stood up and pushed his way past Alfred in an attempt to distance himself from the alpha. Arthur kept biting the inside of his cheek until he bit too hard. 

"Sod!" Arthur cursed from the pain.

Alfred grabbed the Brit by the shoulders and turned him so they were facing each other.

"What's going on with you?" Alfred asked, still holding the shorter man by the shoulders. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"Because you're here," Arthur said in a raised voice before pushing Alfred's hands off him. "I'm just... tired."

"Why don't you take a nap or something?" Alfred suggested. 

Arthur crouched down and broke down in tears. He started to heave when he felt Alfred try to comfort him. 

"Don't," Arthur cried out. "Don't touch me!" Arthur pushed the alpha off of him and walked to the nearest wall to lean against. He was crying so much that his face was wet in tears.

"You're starting to scare me," Alfred said. He wanted to pull the omega into his arms, but he was afraid that it would make Arthur feel worse. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"I'm tired," Arthur repeated. 

Alfred just stared at him, not understanding what was going on. Feeling helpless, Alfred caved into his alpha instincts to take care of his omega and went to Arthur. The moment he hugged him, Arthur screamed and started hitting the alpha's chest until Alfred backed away.

"You just don't get it," Arthur shouted. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of _us_."

Alfred's heart plummeted and his body suddenly felt cold. 

"Did something happen while I was gone?" Alfred asked, desperate to make sense of what Arthur was saying. "I don't understand, why are you saying all of this?"

"I'm not happy," Arthur answered, still crying. 

Alfred reached his hand out toward Arthur to wipe away his tears. The moment his fingers touched the omega's face, Arthur slapped it away.

"I said don't touch me!" Arthur shouted. 

"It'll be okay, Artie," Alfred said, tears streaming down his face now. "We can fix this, whatever it is."

Arthur shook his head. Sounding defeated, he cried, "I don't want this. I never wanted any of this." 

"What are you talking about?" Alfred asked. "Any of what?"

Arthur walked over to the couch and dropped down on it. He stared at the ceiling and tried to stop crying, but he only cried harder. He brought his knees to his chest and curled into a ball. 

Hesitantly, Alfred slowly approached Arthur. Instead of sitting beside him, Alfred stooped down in front of him.

"Please talk to me," Alfred begged, resisting the urge to touch the omega.

Arthur didn't say anything, he just continued to cry against his knees. After several minutes passed, Alfred rubbed the omega's shoulder which only made him cry even harder. So Alfred just sat there and waited for Arthur to calm down. 

A half hour passed by before Arthur stopped crying. Then Arthur just stared past Alfred who was still sitting on the floor and focused on his bookcase.

After several minutes of silence, Arthur whispered, "...I just wanted company...."

Alfred didn't respond right away. It seemed like Arthur was about to say he cheated on him. Just the idea of it made Alfred's heart break and his blood boil. 

Was that the reason why Arthur was so upset that he came home early? It was the only thing that made sense, but Alfred really didn't want to believe it could be true. 

When Arthur didn't say anything else, Alfred forced himself to speak. 

"Are you... Are you saying there's someone else?" Alfred asked as he stood up from the floor. 

Alfred had tried his best to keep his voice calm, but Arthur could smell the jealousy and anger radiating off the alpha. Arthur stared at Alfred for a second with furrowed eyebrows before letting out a dark laugh. 

"Are you seriously accusing me of cheating? Have you gone mad?!" 

"No, I didn't mean - I just... It just sounded like you did something... or wanted to do something," Alfred said in a pained voice.

"Believe me, if I fancied cheating on you then I would of. It's not bloody difficult to find some bloke at some pub to shag."

Alfred's eyes widened in shock from what Arthur just said. 

"How can you say that if you weren't thinking about cheating on me?" Alfred asked.

"When the bloody hell would I have time to cheat on you? We spend every bleeding minute together! You're always there! I can never get a bloody break from you!" 

Arthur was now giving off a terrible scent from his anger and it was infectious. Alfred tried to remain level-headed, but smelling that scent made it impossible for him to stay calm. The alpha could feel himself slowly give into anger. 

"Of course I'm always here. We're in a relationship — that's the way it's supposed to be," Alfred pointed out as calmly as he could. "Why is that a bad thing? I never want space from you."

"Because you don't need it," Arthur cried. "But I do. I feel like I can't breathe. This relationship is suffocating me. _You're_ suffocating me!"

The American covered his face with his hands for a moment before bringing them behind his neck. He took a few steps back and resisted the urge to start pacing around the room. 

Alfred didn't know what to say. He didn't understand where any of this was coming from and he didn't know what to do to make it better. 

Arthur's rage calmed down a little when he sensed how distraught Alfred was. They were quiet for a moment before Arthur spoke again.

"I never wanted this life, Al. I didn't choose any of this," Arthur said, his voice quivering. He swallowed hard and fought back the urge to cry again. "The day we first had sex was a mistake. We should have waited to know each other better."

Alfred stared at Arthur, not believing what he was hearing. 

"You did choose this," Alfred argued, feeling more angry now than concerned. "You invited me over during your heat, then you asked if I wanted to have sex with you!"

"I... I don't know why I asked you that... I suppose I just wanted your company," Arthur replied in a small voice. 

It was a lie though. Arthur did know why. He just couldn't bring himself to explain how asking for sex was simply easier for him to do at the time. Sex was the way Arthur connected with other people for the last several years of his life. It was almost automatic for him to offer to have sex. 

But Arthur never told Alfred about the people he had sex with. He knew he could have when they went to the doctor to get tested. That would have been the perfect moment to do so. Arthur was actually tempted to tell Alfred but he was afraid of how Alfred would react. 

Now wasn't the best time for him to go through his sexual history though. Because of this, Arthur said in his defense, "I was in heat... I didn't know what I was saying..."

"Don't," Alfred snapped. "Don't say that. You don't know how much that first time meant to me, so please don't ruin it."

"But I didn't know..."

"You were already in heat when you invited me over. Omegas never do that. Some other alpha would have fucked you the second he stepped inside!"

"And that's supposed to make you some kind of bleeding saint?" Arthur asked. "Do you remember the conversation we had right before we had sex for the first time?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alfred asked, his patience wearing thin.

Arthur's face burned red. " _Everything_! I told you from the start what I needed!"

"You asked me if I wanted to fuck you and then you let me do it," Alfred yelled back.

Arthur was quiet for a second before saying, "I didn't say it was all your fault... It's just, you don't understand what it's like for an omega when we get in heat."

"And you don't know what it's like for an alpha to be around an omega in heat," Alfred shot back. "It's difficult for us too."

"I just think we should have waited," Arthur said in an almost mournful voice. 

"We knew each other for like a year when that happened!" Alfred shouted.

"Ten months," Arthur corrected. 

"A year, ten months, what's the difference?" 

"It was too soon," Arthur said sternly.

"Too soon? Ten months is a long time," Alfred stated.

"It was too soon for me. Why can't you understand that?" Arthur nearly shouted. "A year would have been too soon. Even two years may have been too soon."

"Okay, maybe it was too soon... but we love each other so it all worked out," Alfred said.

Tears were running down the omega's face at this point. Alfred reached his hand toward Arthur's cheek to wipe his tears. This time Arthur didn't push his hand away. Instead, he leaned into Alfred's touch.

"Do we though?" Arthur whispered.

Alfred's hand started to tremble against Arthur's cheek.

"Are you saying you don't love me?" Alfred asked, his voice breaking.

Arthur looked away from him. 

"I don't know... I feel like I do, but..." 

Arthur paused as he tried to gain the strength to say what he needed to say. 

"But what?" Alfred urged him to continue even though he didn't want to hear what the omega would say next.

Arthur wrapped his arms around himself and looked away from the alpha.

"I'm not happy, Al. How can this be love when I'm living a life I would never want to live?" Arthur asked. "I never have any time to myself to do anything I want. I never get to read anymore, I - "

"That's not true, you read all the time," Alfred interrupted. "You're never next to me when I wake up because you're out here reading. There's always a book in your hands whenever I see you."

Arthur shook his head. "I always try to read, but I never do. You never let me. You want me to spend all my time with you and it's never enough!"

Alfred's squinted his eyes before looking away from the omega. His hands were balled into fists and his body was shaking. He was angry, but more than that he was hurt.

"I'm so sorry that I love you and love being with you," Alfred huffed. "Forgive me for ruining your life."

"Don't be like that. I enjoy spending time with you too. I just needed more time to myself."

"How much more time alone can you need? We rarely go out anywhere. You never met any of my friends or family. All you do is read!"

Arthur could smell frustration reeking off the alpha's scent. It made Arthur feel bad for him. His instinct was to comfort his alpha, to nuzzle against him and kiss him until the alpha felt confident again. He reached out to touch the alpha but pulled his hand back at the last second.

"Remember the book I showed you after Valentine's Day?" Arthur asked while looking at Alfred. "That's the book I'm always trying to read. I _just_ finished it this week and that's only because you weren't here to prevent me from reading."

Alfred was dumbfounded that Arthur was blaming him. "How am I preventing you from reading?"

"We're just talking in circles now," Arthur said with a sigh.

"Okay, fine. If I'm the problem then I'll change. You can read as much as you want if that makes you happy," Alfred said with a voice filled with determination. 

Arthur leaned his back against the couch and looked away from Alfred. He felt like he would cry again at any second. Part of Arthur believed that the alpha could change and that they could work out. Their problems weren't huge, it was entirely possible to fix them. But Arthur didn't want to waste any more months together just to find himself in the same situation. By then he might feel compelled to stay even longer to give Alfred more chances.

"I just don't want this anymore," Arthur muttered.

With tears welling in his eyes, Alfred hesitantly asked, "Are you... Are you breaking up with me?" 

"I think you already know the answer to that," Arthur said sadly.

"No I don't," Alfred insisted.

Tears started running down Arthur's face. He opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out. His chest felt tight and his heart felt like it was being squeezed. 

Then he started wringing his hands as he willed himself to speak. 

"I want to break up." 

Arthur's words were barely above a whisper but they were strong enough to pierce through Alfred's heart. 

Alfred sat down next to Arthur and took the omega's hand. Arthur tried to pull away but Alfred tightened his grip. 

"We don't need to break up," Alfred said while fighting back tears. "We can work this out. I love you, and I know you love me too."

"How can you know how I feel when I'm not even sure?" Arthur quietly asked.

"Because I know," Alfred said before leaning in to kiss Arthur. The omega turned his face away, so Alfred kissed him on the cheek instead. Arthur didn't move as Alfred continued kissing him. 

"Al," Arthur whispered. 

Alfred brought his hand to Arthur's cheek and gently turned Arthur's face toward him. Arthur looked down and tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Arthur cried. 

Alfred kissed the tears off Arthur's cheek. "Please," Alfred said, his voice breaking. He kissed Arthur again. "Please, Artie."

"I can't do this anymore," Arthur murmured between sobs. 

"Please don't give up on us," Alfred begged. 

While kissing Arthur on the cheek, he cupped Arthur's other cheek in his hand to turn the omega's face toward him again. Arthur didn't resist when Alfred kissed his lips. Arthur's sobs slowly stopped as he started kissing Alfred. As he felt Alfred slowly start to push him down on his back, Arthur broke the kiss. 

"I don't want to try anymore," Arthur said weakly. 

Alfred kissed Arthur's neck which made the omega moan softly.

"Alfred," Arthur breathed out. 

"I love you," Alfred said in a wavering voice as tears ran down his face.

"I know you do." Arthur ran his fingers through Alfred's hair and looked at him. If there was anything he knew, it was that Alfred loved him. "But that's not enough." 

"We can make it work," Alfred cried. "I know we can. Please give me another chance."

Arthur continued stroking Alfred's hair as the alpha cried. It killed him to see Alfred like this. Every tear that fell from Alfred's eyes made Arthur's heart ache more. 

He pulled Alfred by the neck so he could kiss the alpha on the lips. Arthur inhaled deeply through his nose and took in the alpha's scent.

Alfred kissed him back and his lips quivered as he tried to keep himself from crying. He let out a shaky breath when he felt Arthur suck his lower lip.

Then they lied on the couch while they continued kissing. Both of their faces were wet with tears but it didn't slow them down. Whenever one of them started to cry, the other would start kissing even deeper. 

Arthur started to jerk his hips up against Alfred until the alpha started grinding him back. When Alfred's cock became hard, Arthur wrapped his legs around Alfred's back to give the alpha easier access. Alfred entered the omega and started thrusting himself inside Arthur's hole. 

Their moans masked their sobs as they held onto each other. Alfred thrust inside the omega several more times before they reached their climax together. Then they held each other even tighter as if they would never touch each other again. 

Everything was quiet between them. The only sound came from the rain that was still pouring outside.

Somehow everything felt different. Even as Alfred clutched Arthur close to him, he felt like he was alone. Then Alfred knew. This really was the end. 

He buried his face into the omega's hair and willed himself not to cry. 

Arthur could feel Alfred's chest lightly heave. He had the urge to tell Alfred that he loved him, but the words died in his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of _What If I Said Yes_. Hope you enjoyed it! As the title implies, this is what would have happened if Alfred and Arthur decided to have sex on Valentine's Day. 
> 
> Part 3 (the main story) is what happens if they didn't have sex on Valentine's Day. It will 100% have a happy ending, eventually. It may not seem that way in certain chapters, but I promise you it will. 
> 
> You will have greater insight and appreciation for the things that will happen in Part 3 because you read this. Also, Part 3 will answer a couple of questions you might have had about Part 2 ^^
> 
> Happy New Year! ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ


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